Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on April 16 in Toronto.Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The season still hasn’t clicked for Alek Manoah.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander had a phenomenal sophomore season last year, finishing with a 2.24 earned-run average and third in American League Cy Young Award voting. But in 2023, outside of one outing, Manoah has yet to hit his stride.
That continued in the Blue Jays’ 8-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rayson Sunday at the Rogers Centre, where Manoah went 4 2/3 innings and gave upsevenrunsin an unsteady start.
The loss spoiled the Jays’ hopes of sweeping the Rays, who entered the weekend series as the hottest team in the majors. Tampa Bay started the season on a 13-game winning streak, tying the record for the best start to a season in the modern era, before Toronto beat Tampa on Friday and Saturday.
On Sunday, Manoah struggled from the moment he stepped on the mound. His first pitch sailed into first baseman Yandy Diaz’s back. He walked the next batter, gave up a single, then walked designated hitter Wander Franco with the bases loaded to force in a run, all without recording an out.
“They kicked my butt,” Manoah said. “I’m here right now and I’m going to keep fighting my way out. That’s all I know how to do and that’s what this team needs from me.”
Sunday’s start was the latest in a string of rough outings for the 25-year-old. Manoah gave up five runs and didn’t finish the fourth inning on opening day in St. Louis, then shut down the Kansas City Royals with seven runless innings on April 5.
Then after a three-run, five-walk start in the home opener on April 11, Manoah gave up the most runs of his major-league career on Sunday and tied his career high in hits allowed.
“I’m not going back to the drawing board. I felt good out there,” Manoah said, explaining that he had some sharp pitches and good velocity, despite missing his location in a few at-bats.
Manoah pitched around a handful of baserunners in the middle innings, then struck out the first two batters in the fifth, but the inning quickly fell apart. Centre fielder Josh Lowe brought in a run with a double and, two batters later, catcher Christian Bethancourt delivered the death blow.
His three-run homer gave the Rays a 7-1 lead and knocked Manoah out of the game one batter later.
Manoah shot through the minor leagues and dominated the majors from the moment he arrived. Now he’s encountered a road block.
“It’s going to happen at any point in time, I think in anybody’s career,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “You got all the confidence in the world in that dude to really dig down, dig deep. He’s one of the best competitors in the game. You go through it, you learn from it, you get better.”
Offensively, the Blue Jays were up against lefty Shane McClanahan, who gave up three runs total in his first three starts of the season, all of which the Rays won. In 2022, he used his fastball, second-fastest among American League starters, and effective changeup to post a 2.54 ERA.
Toronto’s limited offence came in its first three at-bats. Designated hitter George Springer walked, then shortstop Bo Bichette hit a single. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit another single to drive Springer in.
McClanahan proceeded to shut Toronto down. He retired the next 11 batters in order and allowed only twomore hits before leaving the game at the end of the sixth.
The one-run performance was only Toronto’s third time in 16 games scoring fewer than two runs. Entering Sunday, the Blue Jays led the majors with a team batting average of .282.
“Our approach early was good,” Schneider said. “[McClanahan] had a really good mix going. It was starting soft then finishing with a fastball.”
With their first home stand of the season now finished, the Blue Jays will travel to face the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros on Monday evening. Opening the series is righty Kevin Gausman, who has been Toronto’s most reliable starter this season by a wide margin – he’s allowed just three runs and three walks while striking out 25.
While the Astros have started the year slowly at 7-8, Schneider said he isn’t putting stock into their early season results.
Manoah won’t start again until Toronto’s series against the New York Yankees over the weekend. He’ll have time to address what hasn’t been working.
“I just need to go out there and start throwing some punches instead of wearing them,” Manoah said.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
